Agriculture is the most important economic sector for the people in the district. Almost 83% of the irrigated area is irrigated through tube wells, 7% by canals, and 5% by karezes and springs. The remaining 5% is irrigated by wells and other sources^38-A. Although agriculture is the dominant sector of the economy, livestock is also flourishing due to vast grazing land.

The contribution of the agriculture sector is greater than any other sector in the economy of the district. Next in the order of importance is the livestock sector which also has a major share in the economy of the district. The prominent crops are wheat, barley, fodder, maize, chillies, vegetables, onion and potato. Major fruits are apple, apricot, almond, pomegranate, peach, grapes.

The government policy is not to set up any industry by the public sector. However, facilities are being providing by the government to the farmers in irrigation, quality seeds , fertilizers, pesticides, loans and technical expertise. The Livestock department is also working to facilitate animal husbandry in the district.

The major crops grown in Rabbi season are wheat, barley, vegetables and fodder. Crops grown in Kharif season are fruits, melon, chillies, onion, fodder, maize, Jawar, potato, and vegetables. Wheat accounts for 63% of the total Rabbi season crop yields. The major crop in Kharif season is fruits, making up 70% of the Kharif crops. The trends in agricultural crops in the district show an increase in production of wheat from 25,300 tonnes in 1992-93 to 28,180 tonnes during 1993-94 and to 29,856 in 1994-95, indicating an increase of 18% over the base year of 1992-93. There is an increase in production of fruits as well; from 93,853 tonnes in 1992-93 to 133,770 tonnes during 1993-94 and to 169,675 tonnes during 1994-95, showing an increase of 81% from 1992-93 to 1994-95.

The fodder production has increased from 48,940 tonnes during 1992-93 to 63,020 tonnes during 1994-95, showing an increase of 29% from the year 1992-93 to 1994-95. The area under cultivation of crops and fruits has increased during these years.

The total geographical area is 993,300 hectares; the reported area is 100%. The arable land which is suitable for ploughing and crop production is 149,246 hectares, which is 15% of the geographical area. During 1994-95 the net sown area of the district was 42,971 hectares. The irrigated part of this area was 27,790 hectares, leaving 15,181 hectares without irrigation. Out of the total irrigated area 23,170 hectares were irrigated through tube wells, 1,900 through canals, 1,400 through karezes and springs and 1,320 through wells.

According to 1990 census of agriculture (which is the latest available) the total number of farms in the district is 20,474; all private farms. The total area under these farms is 138,108 hectares. The total cultivated area during the census year was 80,753 hectares. The cultivated area as a percentage of total farm area was 58%. The average size of farm area was 6.75 hectares, the average cultivated area was 4 hectares.

The classification of farms and the area under them was; of small farms up to 5 hectares 13,398 were counted (65% of the total number of farms). The area under these farms was 35,273 hectares, which is 26% of the total area. The next category, medium sized farms (5 to 20 hectares) totalled 6,009 (30%). The area under these was 54,184 hectares, being 39% of the total area. The large farms (over 20 hectares), were 1,067 (5%). However, this small number of farms controlled 48,649 hectares, which is 35% of the total area.

Out of the total number of farms, 18,355 farms were managed by their owners. 877 were owner-cum-tenant farms and 1,246 tenant farms. The area under ‘owner’ farms was 123,302 hectares (89.3%). Under owner-cum-tenant farms came 6,547 hectares (4.74%). The tenant farms accounted for 8,257 hectares (5.98% of the total area).

The agriculture statistics are compiled through an agricultural statistical set up in each district. The agriculture statistics are collected primarily by the Field Assistant at every Union Council. The Field Assistant visits the concerned area at the time of sowing and gets a rough estimate about the land to be cultivated under a specific crop. This is termed the first estimate. Then the second estimate is prepared before the crop is actually harvested, this is done especially for the major crops grown in that area, to forecast the production. Finally after the crop is harvested, a calculation is made based on the average production and the actual area cultivated under the crop (keeping into account a flood and disease factor). Then the Field Assistant sends the compiled data to the Agriculture Officer at district level who further compiles the district data. The district level compilation is subsequently sent to the statistical wing of the Agriculture Department through the Assistant Director Agriculture Extension. The Director General of the Agriculture Department published this data in the form of Agricultural Statistics of Balochistan.

The following crops are considered to be cash crops. Potato, pulses, vegetables, fruits etc., while wheat and Jowar are considered food crops. In case of some crops it is difficult to draw the line between food and cash crop.

The area under wheat production has increased from 14,164 hectares in the year 1993-94 to 15,110 hectares in 1994-95 and 17,920 hectares in 1995-96. This shows a considerable increase in the area under production. The wheat production has increased from 28,180 tonnes in 1993-94 to 29,850 in 1994-95 which further increased to 33,850 in 1995-96. Both the irrigated and non-irrigated area have increased from 8,274 hectares irrigated and 5,890 non-irrigated to 9,090 irrigated and 8,830 non-irrigated from year 1993-94 to 1995-96.

The fruit production has also increased from 133,770 tonnes to 169,675 tonnes and further to 171,312 from the year 93-94 to 94-95 and 95-96 respectively. This growth can be attributed to the increase of area under fruits, which was 13,929 hectares in 93-94, increased to 14,073 in 94-95 and further to 14,228 in 95-96. See also annex (6).

The cropping pattern of district Loralai shows that fruits occupy the major proportion of the total production of the various crops and vegetables. The area under fruit was 14,288 ha, while the production accumulated to 171,312 tonnes during 1995-96. The area under wheat production was 17,920 ha, with a production of 33,850 tonnes³⁹. It means that the average yield of wheat was 1,889 kg compared to fruit which was 11,990 kg per hectare.

The average yield of wheat is 1,889 kg per ha during 1995-96 in Loralai district, compared to 2,320 kg per ha for Balochistan. This shows that there is scope for further increase in the average yield. The average yield of fruits is 11,990 kg per hectare in the district compared to 11,155 kg per hectare for the province as a whole; the district’s performance is a little better in this respect.

The average yield of fodder in the district is 33,029 kg per ha, whereas the provincial figure is 31,620 kg. In case of vegetables the average production is 15,702 kg per ha in the district compared to 14,064 kg in the province.

Men are mostly involved in the work on the field, whereas women take part in agricultural activities within the household boundaries (including preparation of fodder and cleaning and packaging the products). In case of fruit the orchard is given on contract. The contractors arrange the labour for picking and packing, the labour force being entirely male.

Most of the farming is done along rather primitive lines with the exception of few large farm holders where some mechanisation has taken place. The irrigation through tube wells is fully mechanised. Farmers often make use of oxen and bulls (e.g. for pulling).

Tenancy contracts are drawn up on the basis of a compensation for the tenant of 1/3 of the production for wheat and cash crops and 1/7 of the production for fruits⁴¹.

The major sources of irrigation are, tube wells, karezes, springs, canals and wells. The total irrigated area was 27,790 ha in 1994-95. The canal irrigated area was 1900 ha, being 6.84% of the total irrigated area. Tube well irrigated area was 23,170 ha (83.38%). Karezes and springs accounted for 1400 ha (5.04%). The area irrigated by wells was 1,320 ha, (4.75%). There were 1,655 tube wells and 220 wells in the year 1994-95. Out of the total number, 134 tube wells are government owned and 1,521 are privately owned. The number of diesel fuelled tube wells is 1,130 (68.28%), and electrically generated tube wells numbered 525 (31.72%).⁴²

There are certain crops, which cannot be grown in rain fed areas, but some crops are grown both on irrigated and rain fed areas like wheat, Jawar, melon and fodder. Productivity per hectare in rain fed areas is lower when compared to the irrigated areas.

The karezes and springs are mostly community owned, whereas tube wells and open surface wells are privately owned. In case of community owned irrigation systems the water is distributed on the basis of land owned by each person. Similarly the cost of maintaining the channels is shared in proportion to the land holdings of the owners. The potential for exploitation of water resources is present, but in case of ground water it is necessary to maintain a balance between discharge and recharge of the water. The tube wells are the major source of irrigation. The operating costs of diesel run tube wells are higher then the electrically powered tube wells. The main reason for the dominance of diesel fuelled tube wells is the non-availability of electricity supply.

There are 23 perennial irrigation schemes in Loralai district. There are 4 flood irrigation schemes, and 50 karezes irrigation schemes.⁴³

An area of 6,926 ha is being irrigated by perennial sources, whereas 1,011 ha is irrigated through flood irrigation schemes. An area 6,373 ha is irrigated through kareez schemes. The details of the schemes are given in annex (15).

Source: Draft Agricultural Statistics of Balochistan 1995-96

There were 755 tractors in the year 1994-95. Private farmers owned 742 tractors, whereas 13 were in use by the government. The number of thrashers was 96, out of which 91 were privately owned, while the balance (5) were government owned. There were no harvesters and reapers in the district⁴⁴. The mechanised systems of irrigation through tube wells totalled 1,655, out of which 1,130 were diesel fuelled, the remaining 525 were electrically powered⁴⁵.

A total of 1255.80 tonnes of chemical fertiliser were used during 1994-95 in the district⁴⁶. It comprised 720 tonnes of Urea, 89.6 tonnes of D.A.P, 240 tonnes of Nitro phosphate, 140 tonnes of Ammonium Sulphate, 1.50 tonnes of S.O.P, and 64.7 tonnes of N.P.K (10:20:20). The N.P.K. consumption of chemical fertiliser in the district contained 422 tonnes of Nitrogenous, 1.9 tonnes of phosphate and 14 tonnes of potassic.⁴⁷

In crop farming 20 to 30 percent manure is used, whereas in orchards it is 90%. A total of 621 ha was ground sprayed in Loralai district. The distribution of the ground spray was 182 ha of orchards, 161 ha of vegetables, 40 ha for weed eradication, 36 ha for soil treatment and 202 ha of miscellaneous crops.⁴⁸

Besides 2.4 tonnes of seed treatment was used and 880 m² of fumigation was used on stores. Also 1.2 tonnes of pesticides were used in the year 1994-95.⁴⁹

Good quality seeds are not available in sufficient quantities, as the potato seed project and vegetable seed farm at Quetta are not producing seeds due to lack of funds. Usually the farmers in the district import good quality seeds from Punjab. The Agriculture Department does not provide nursery plants either; they are also brought from Punjab.

The marketing system in the district has not been developed properly and needs improvement. The existing market practices in the district can be grouped into three components:

1. Direct Marketing by growers:

Direct marketing is very common for vegetables; they are either sold to retailers or offered for auction through commission agents. Although direct marketing gives the growers better returns, they are reluctant to use this method because it does not provide any income security in case of low prices caused by overproduction.

2. Marketing through Commission Agents:

Commission agents play a major role in the sales of fruits and vegetables. They work either on behalf of the growers, for which they charge a commission, or for their own account, in which case they contract crops.

3. Contract Marketing:

The fruit orchards are contracted to interested parties at the start of the season. After the award of the contract the grower has no responsibility with regard to the production. He is only responsible for tending to arrangements like irrigation.

The district is a large producer of fruits and other major crops and therefore their products are exported from the district.

The roads from farm to market are not well developed, and they are not all- weather roads. In rainy season the supplies cannot reach the markets. There is no cold storage or improved farm storage; only the traditional on-farm storage exist. This traditional technique of storage is applied for crops like potato and onion. This technique includes leaving them in the ground or heaping the harvest and covering it with earth. One cold store is newly constructed in the district headquarters Loralai, but it is not functional yet.

There are no fixed prices for agricultural products. There are, however, ceiling prices fixed by government for wheat and rice. Usually the prices are settled by middle men known as Commission Agent or "Dalal". A market commitee does not exist in Loralai District.

The middle men normally get the greater share of the profit since the growers have to sell their product at whatever rate is offered at a given time, since they cannot take their products back to their farms. Their only alternative is to sell as the costs of storage are also high. Another problem of course is that some of the products like fruit and vegetables are perishable.

The income of the farmers is comparatively better in this district, as most of the products are sold outside the district. The agricultural income is subject to fluctuation due to variation in weather, rains and availability of quality inputs. The level of income of small holding landowners are low. Their income may be raised through intensive farming and use of modern technology.

The Agriculture Extension Loralai is working under the Deputy Director Agriculture. There is one extra Assistant Director Agriculture (EADA) Statistics, one EADA for Loralai Sub-Division and one EADA for Duki/Sinjavi. There are six Agriculture Officers, three each for Loralai Sub-Division and Duki Sub-Division. Also an APPO, a Senior Investigator, 55 Field Assistants and 129 other support staff are working in Loralai District.

The Department provides information and technical knowledge about agriculture to the farmers. The Department is also responsible for the establishment of research farms in the district. The On-Farm Water Management Section is responsible for the implementation of the On-Farm Water Management Project in the district.

As may be seen from the table below, the role of local government in agricultural development is virtually non-existent. Major players in this field are the Provincial & Federal government, while the commercial activities in this sector are mainly covered by the private enterprises.

There is a great potential for agriculture development as vast virgin land is available but due to water shortage the benefits cannot be reaped. Although some areas are linked with the national power station grid, other areas are deprived of this facility. Electricity is one of the cheapest sources of exploiting the ground water as the method of water pumping through diesel engines is costly.

Agricultural production can also be increased through intensive farming and the use of modern technology. Since innovative farming is non-existent, the role of the Agriculture Department needs to be improved to assist in this direction. Due to laws of inheritance, small land holdings are further fragmented, making their cultivation economically less interesting. The yield per hectare can be increased by using better quality seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and improved irrigation facilities.

The policy of the government has been to remove subsidies on fertilizer and pesticides, which increased the cost of production and act as a disincentive for their use. This also effects the income of the farmers. The production of Barani areas fluctuates as they are depending on rainfall. This makes the income of the farmers uncertain. The market system is also not well developed and middlemen exploit this situation, playing an important role in determining the agriculture prices. Improvement of the marketing system is needed, like assistance in the formation of market committees, so that the produce can be sent to the correct market, at the proper time and in the right amounts. The farm-to-market roads are also not developed, so that the produce cannot reach the market easily.

Loralai district has great potential for horticulture and the produce can be exported to other areas, provided proper incentive and encouragement is made available to the farmers. The land ownership and tenure system also need reforming so that the mechanisation and modernisation could be made more feasible.

Since the area is a large producer of fruits there is scope for establishing processing industries if sufficient incentives are given. The government revenue can also be increased through boosting of agriculture produce and export to other areas. Fiscal measures may also help in attracting investors.

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